Weather vane and vent assembly

ABSTRACT

Apparatus that can be mounted over a vent opening in the roof of a building to provide ventilation and which also functions as a weather vane to indicate the direction of the wind.

[ 1 May 15, 1973 United States Patent 1 Kwolek References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS WEATHER VANE AND VENT ASSEMBLY 6/1936 Wilhelm............... ...73/l88 ,179 2/1922 Tidwell. ...................................98/68 [76] Inventor: Stephen Kwolek, 8385 Woodcrest Drive, Westland, Mich. 48185 i83 Primary ExaminerJerry W. Myracle Attorney- Finn G. Olsen et al.

[22] Filed: Nov. 22, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 200,897

] ABSTRACT Apparatus that can be mounted over a vent opening in the roof of a building to provide ventilation and which also functions as a weather vane to indicate the 10 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEUM H IQB 3,732,730

' FIG-I iNVENTOR STEPHEN KWOLEK VBY ATTORNEYS v PATENTEDHAYI 51975 3,732,730

SHEET 2 BF 2 Y-EPHEN KWQLEK ATTORNEYS WEATHER VANE AND VENT ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is conventional practice to provide cupolas or similar vent structures for mounting on the roofs of garages, homes or similar buildings to provide venting of the upper regions of the building. Ventilation structures of this type are not especially suited for prefabricated construction at low cost, because it is not possible to realize the benefits that normally can be derived from standardization or mass-production techniques, and it is difficult to build such units which will have an attractive appearance with a variety of different styles of buildings.

SUMMARY OF. THE INVENTION The present invention is an improvement over the prior art devices which are designed for ventilation purposes for garages, attics of houses, and the like. The improved ventilation apparatus incorporates with it a weather vane so that it provides an attractive simple unit which can be mounted on the roof of a building to be ventilated, and is constructed and arranged so that it can be readily used with roofs of any slope or configuration. Thus, the unit is especially suited for mass production techniques since it can be used with a large variety of roof constructions and will provide an attractive appearance in conjunction with a large variety of building units.

According to one form of the present invention, a weather vane and vent assembly is provided which is adapted to be mounted on the roof of a building and comprises a vent member which has a base portion adapted to be attached to the roof of the building and to enclose a vent opening therein and a riser portion having an elevated outlet in communication with the duct opening. A housing having the shape of a rectangular pyramid with its lower edge scalloped encloses the vent member, and the scalloped portions provide communication between the exterior of the housing and the elevated outlet of the riser portion. A spindle support is located within the housing including a base plate positioned in spaced relation above the riser portion. The base plate is secured to the walls of the housing above the scalloped edge so that'a suitable closure is provided over the vent opening of the roof. A spindle is seated at'its lower end on the base plate and projects upward above the housing, and a weather vane is mounted on the spindle for turning to indicate the direction of the wind.

The housing has walls that are formed of sheet aluminum, and the walls have attachment tabs which are extensions from the lower edge. The attachment tabs are deflectable so that they can readily fit the contour of the roof on which the housing is attached. Thus, the weather vane and vent assembly can readily be mounted on a roof having any slope or shape and the tabs can be deflected to conform to the contour of the roof. The tabs can be attached to the roof in any conventional manner.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved weather vane and vent assembly for mounting on the roof of a building.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings formed a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the weather vane and vent assembly embodying the present invention, the housing being shown in phantom to facilitate illustrating interior construction of the assembly;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the embodiment of the invention and through the roof on which the embodiment is mounted; and

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood-that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention will be described in greater detail. The weather vane and vent assembly 10 is shown in FIG. 2 as being mounted on the roof 12 of a garage or similar building 14 which has a vent opening 16 therein. The weather vane and vent assembly 10 includes a vent member 18 which as a base portion 20 secured to the roof 12 by nails 22 or other suitable attachment devices, and vent member 18 also has a riser portion 24 which defines an elevated outlet 26 that is in communication or registry with the vent opening 16. A screen 28 is attached to the upper end of the riser portion 24 to prevent birds and undesirable foreign matter from inadvertently entering the building through the elevated outlet 26.

A housing 30 is preferably made of sheet aluminum in the form of a rectangular pyramid and it is dimensioned so that it encloses the vent member 18 in spaced relation thereto. The housing has a scalloped lower edge 32 wherein the scallops or cutout portions provide communication between the exterior of the housing 30 and the elevated outlet 26. The housing 30 has four wall panels 34 which can be formed by a conventional stamping operation and the panels are joined together at the flanges 36 by any suitable securing means. Certain or all of the wall panels 34 may have tabs 36 formed integrally therewith so that they can readily be deflected to a desired position to conform to the slope of the roof 12 after which the housing can be secured in place by nails 38 or other suitable fastening means.

Mounted within the housing 30 is a spindle support 40 which includes the base plate 41 located in spaced relation above the elevated outlet 26 and secured to the walls of the housing 30 above the scallops or cutout portions in the lower edge 32. By virtue of this arrange- .ment a passageway is provided from the exterior of the housing 30 to the elevated outlet 26 which will permit passage of air but which will prevent rain or foreign elements from entering the garage or building 14.

A spindle 42 is retained in place within the spindle support and the lower end of the spindle 42 is seated on the base plate 40 so that it is freely rotatable about its axis. Seated on the top of the housing 40 and fitted over the spindle 42 so as to be freely rotatable when initially installed is the directional compass indicator 44. After the latter has been oriented to the proper direction following installation of the weather vane and vent assembly on the roof of the building, the indicator 44 can be secured in the proper position by means ofa nail or other element that can be driven into the spindle support 40 through a nail hole in the flange 46. Positioned above the direction or compass bearing indicator 44 is the weather vane 47 which is freely rotatable around the shaft or spindle 42.

Thus, it can be seen that a simple weather vane and vent assembly has been provided which can be produced at low cost and which will be a standard-ized product that can be used with buildings of a variety of designs, thereby assuring its low cost.

It is claimed:

1. A weather vane and vent assembly for the roof of a building having a vent opening, comprising a vent member which has a base portion attached to the roof of the building so as to enclose said vent opening and a riser portion having an elevated outlet in registry with said vent opening, a housing enclosing the vent member and having a scalloped lower edge attached to the roof of the building, the scallops in the lower edge providing communication between the exterior of the housing and the elevated outlet of the riser portion, said housing having a spindle support above the vent member, a spindle in said spindle support projecting above the housing, and a weather vane mounted on said spindle for turning to indicate the direction of the wind.

2. The weather vane and vent assembly that is de-.

fined in claim 1, wherein said housing is in the shape of a rectangular pyramid, and said lower edge has one scallop at each side of the pyramid.

3. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 2, wherein said riser portion has its elevated outlet located at a higher elevation than any of the scallops in said lower edge.

4. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 3, wherein said housing is formed of sheet metal, and tabs project from said lower edge at each of the lower corners of the housing for attachment to the roof of the building.

5. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 3, wherein said riser portion has a screen mounted over said elevated outlet.

6. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 1, wherein a compass bearing indicator is rotatably carried on said spindle between said housing and said weather vane and is secured against rotation to said housing.

7. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 6, wherein said spindle support includes a base plate on which the lower end of said spindle is seated, said base plate being in spaced relation above said riser portion and being secured to the walls of said housing above said scalloped lower edge.

8. A weather vane and vent assembly for the roof of a building having a vent opening, comprising a vent member which has a base portion attached to the roof of the building so as to enclose said vent opening and a riser portion having an elevated outlet in communication with said vent opening, a housing attached to said roof and enclosing said vent member and having cutout portions adjacent to the bottom of the housing providing communication between the exterior of the housing and the elevated outlet of the riser portion, said riser portion having its elevated outlet located at a higher elevation than said cut-out portions, a spindle support in said housing including a base plate positioned in spaced relation above said riser portion and secured to the walls of said housing above said cut-out portions, a spindle seated at its lower end on said base plate and projecting upward above said housing, and a weather vane mounted on said spindle for turning to indicate the direction of the wind.

9. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 8, wherein said housing is in the shape of a rectangular pyramid and said cut-out portions are scallops in the lower edge of the housing.

10. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 9, wherein said housing has walls of sheet aluminum, land said walls have attachment tabs that are extensions from said lower edge, said attachment tabs being deflectable to fit the contour of the roof on which the housing isattached. 

1. A weather vane and vent assembly for the roof of a building having a vent oPening, comprising a vent member which has a base portion attached to the roof of the building so as to enclose said vent opening and a riser portion having an elevated outlet in registry with said vent opening, a housing enclosing the vent member and having a scalloped lower edge attached to the roof of the building, the scallops in the lower edge providing communication between the exterior of the housing and the elevated outlet of the riser portion, said housing having a spindle support above the vent member, a spindle in said spindle support projecting above the housing, and a weather vane mounted on said spindle for turning to indicate the direction of the wind.
 2. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 1, wherein said housing is in the shape of a rectangular pyramid, and said lower edge has one scallop at each side of the pyramid.
 3. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 2, wherein said riser portion has its elevated outlet located at a higher elevation than any of the scallops in said lower edge.
 4. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 3, wherein said housing is formed of sheet metal, and tabs project from said lower edge at each of the lower corners of the housing for attachment to the roof of the building.
 5. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 3, wherein said riser portion has a screen mounted over said elevated outlet.
 6. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 1, wherein a compass bearing indicator is rotatably carried on said spindle between said housing and said weather vane and is secured against rotation to said housing.
 7. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 6, wherein said spindle support includes a base plate on which the lower end of said spindle is seated, said base plate being in spaced relation above said riser portion and being secured to the walls of said housing above said scalloped lower edge.
 8. A weather vane and vent assembly for the roof of a building having a vent opening, comprising a vent member which has a base portion attached to the roof of the building so as to enclose said vent opening and a riser portion having an elevated outlet in communication with said vent opening, a housing attached to said roof and enclosing said vent member and having cut-out portions adjacent to the bottom of the housing providing communication between the exterior of the housing and the elevated outlet of the riser portion, said riser portion having its elevated outlet located at a higher elevation than said cut-out portions, a spindle support in said housing including a base plate positioned in spaced relation above said riser portion and secured to the walls of said housing above said cut-out portions, a spindle seated at its lower end on said base plate and projecting upward above said housing, and a weather vane mounted on said spindle for turning to indicate the direction of the wind.
 9. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 8, wherein said housing is in the shape of a rectangular pyramid and said cut-out portions are scallops in the lower edge of the housing.
 10. The weather vane and vent assembly that is defined in claim 9, wherein said housing has walls of sheet aluminum, and said walls have attachment tabs that are extensions from said lower edge, said attachment tabs being deflectable to fit the contour of the roof on which the housing is attached. 